Companies are made by people and the role of the CEO is quintessential. If you are an investor, it's important to look at the CEO because they determine the future of the business for a big part. But how can you recognize a great CEO? Here are 7 traits of exceptional CEOs: 1. Visionary: Sets a clear and overly ambitious goal. e.g. Matthew Prince at Cloudflare: "To make the internet better." 2. Communicator: Articulates ideas, strategies, and performance transparently for investors. e.g. Jeff Green at The Trade Desk. 3. Accountable: Takes responsibility for the company’s performance, good or bad. e.g. @Sundar Pichai after Google's demo blunders. 4. Adaptive: Responds effectively to industry changes and market disruptions. e.g. Mark Zuckerberg at Meta, reacting to TikTok with more video focus. 5. Stakeholder Oriented: Thinks of customers, employees, and shareholders, in that order. e.g. Jeff Bezos at Amazon. 6. Innovative: fosters a culture of innovation and invests in future growth. e.g. @Elon Musk at Tesla. 7. Planner: Prioritizes long-term success over short-term gains. e.g. Mark Leonard at Constellation Software Inc.